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Ebola, contagious disease caused by a virus of the family Filoviridae that is responsible for a severe and often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever. Outbreaks in primates—including gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans—and domestic pigs have been recorded. The disease is characterized by extreme fever, rash, and profuse hemorrhaging. In humans, Ebola disease has an average fatality rate of about 50 percent, though past outbreaks have ranged from roughly 25 to 90 percent mortality. Ebolaviruses take their name...